Scooter companies appear to be struggling, which is not a surprise; still, it is an excuse to re-visit assumptions around ride-sharing in comparison, and an generalizable principle about Aggregation Theory. Plus, an update on Apple versus the FBI.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin Step Down, Why Now?, Google Going Forward
Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s impact on Silicon Valley is incomparable; now, though, they are formalizing a departure that arguably happened years ago. Why now, and what should Alphabet and Google do next?
The Google Squeeze
Google, the real Aggregator, is squeezing OTAs, which acted like Aggregators while depending on Google for demand. It’s easy to say Google is being unfair, but this may be better for consumers.
The Internet and the Third Estate
Mark Zuckerberg suggested that social media is a “Fifth Estate”; in fact, social media is a means by which the Third Estate — commoners — can seize political power. Here history matters.
Neither, and New: Lessons from Uber and Vision Fund
Uber represents something new: a company that is different than incumbents because of technology, yet not itself a tech company — just like the Venture Fund is not a VC.
What Is a Tech Company?
The question of “What is a tech company” comes down to how much software and its unique characteristics affects the company’s core business.
Why WeWork Isn’t AWS and the CEO Problem, Cloudflare’s S-1, Contrasting S-1s
The comparison of WeWork to AWS shouldn’t be taken too far, because software is different. Look no further than Cloudflare’s IPO. Plus, leadership matters.
The Problem with “Aggregation Theory”, Demand at Scale, Supplier Power and Value
A response to The Problem with Ben Thompson’s ‘Aggregation Theory’, and why the Internet really is different (this Daily Update is freely accessible)
Disney and the Future of TV
TV is moving from a world where distribution dictates business models to one where business models need to fit the jobs consumers want done. That is the best way to understand Disney’s latest announcement.
A Framework for Regulating Content on the Internet
Regulators need to stop blindly regulating “the Internet” and instead understand that every part of the Internet stack is different, and only one part is suffering from market failure.